What I've Loved About Christmas Break

I think more than any other time before I have enjoyed this Christmas Break...and being a creature of routine this has surprised me just a bit.

I've loved...

1. Spending time with my family (of course)

2. Sleeping in (of course...although that has a different meaning since I have Early Bird Tucker)

3. Mapping out some plans for remodeling out dated bathroom and picking out colors for painting our den.

4. Playing games with my kids...they are finally old enough not to get bent out of shape when they lose...makes gaming much more fun!

5. Cooking/Baking more

6. Cleaning the house from top to bottom and getting rid of stuff we don't need.

7. New Years Eve text party with girlfriends....our hubbies just thought they could keep us apart! LOL!

8. Watching Christmas movies

9. Celebrating Christ's birth with church family, my class, my family, our community.

10. And ....SNOW!...on Christmas Day!

It's been wonderful....and I really don't know how I can get back in the routine of school in 5 more days....oh well....I'll figure that out when it gets here!

The Belly of the Whale

Jonah 2:6 says, But you, Lord my God, brought my life up from the pit.

I woke up thinking about Jonah today. His story resounds loudly with my own as I think of my own life journey. Knowing the right thing to do and yet, somehow thinking I can outsmart God, buy a ticket to someplace else, get on a boat, where surely God won't find me, cause a big mess (storm), get thrown overboard and then have a heart to heart with God.

At the start of a new year it's easy to get caught up in all the regrets, the past mistakes, the roads less traveled, the diets undone, the money wasted, the time released. Just like Jonah....all those things that we know we should've and could've done, all those commands from God that we ignored, all those things that would have brought Him glory that we ignored for our own selfish ways...it's easy to get bogged down in the reflection of failure we see when we look in the mirror. And that's what the enemy wants.

But the truth is...the Lord my God has brought my life up from the pit. Even without being spit out of the belly of the whale, Jonah knew God had brought Him up from the pit. He claimed the promises that He already knew about His God, while He was at the lowest point of His life...in the churning belly of the nasty whale. He remembered what God had done for Him in the past. The constant God, the faithful God, the one who was strong enough to bring His life up from the pit.

I think that's my greatest defense these days...Remembering who God is, what He's done in the past, recalling how He has brought my life up from the pit.  Rejoicing in the faithfulness of a God who isn't finished with me, who has a plan for this life, who loves me....loves me....loves ME.

Isn't that the greatest gift?...His love. It encompasses every other attribute He has...His grace, His forgiveness, His compassion. It's that love that brings my life out of the pit. It's that love that helps me look forward instead of backwards and it's that love that gives me hope that He has a plan for my future....just like my past....and He's already done so much with my life I can't imagine what else He has in store.

That belly of the whale isn't a place I want to go back to....and that's not where God intends His redeemed, reconciled, justified children to live. So I'm rejoicing in my rescue from the pit and pray that God will keep my heart and mind fixed on His Son, His love and His plans for the future.

The To Do's

I've been wanting to make a home binder for a while...a central place where all things home related could be found. I began searching blogs and pinterest for free printables that might meet my needs and what do you know....I found everything I needed to get organized for the new year...at least on paper.

Bill Pay Schedule

Menu Planner

Weekly Goal Setting 

Really Cute Monthly Calendars

Family Contact Sheet

Monthly Cleaning 

Grocery Check List

52 Weeks to an Organized Home 

Customizable Cover Sheet

I found these sheets at Money Saving Mom and at The Organizing Home Life websites. I just went through and picked out the ones that I needed. There are many more printable sheets that I did not print out...budgeting, address sheets, chore charts...and more.

So, after a morning of getting the binder all together, I spent part of the afternoon making our favorite New Year Meal... Chili. I had some ripe bananas so I made some homemade banana bread to put in the freezer for a rainy day. Bruce is feeling under the weather still so the kids and I hung out in the den watching Christmas movies and playing games. I'm loving this break from all things routine!

Happy New Years Day! 

Year in Review 2012

Here are the highlights from our year:

January- Our senior pastor or 27 years resigned from our church and Bruce submitted his resume to be considered as a candidate. We said goodbye to good friends who moved to NC to finish up training with JAARS. 

February- Savannah and Bruce went to a Father Daughter dance and had a great time. They share such a special bond. We had our Missions Conference at church and I was blessed to meet and get reacquainted with truly beautiful people who are sharing Christ around the world.

March- We spent Spring Break in Georgia and had a wonderful time just enjoying the beauty of the deep south. The kids enjoyed playing with their cousins and the puppies. Sissy took us to a huge trampoline gym and the kids had more fun than they could have imagined. We enjoyed a trip up to NC to see The Brewers since we were so close. Traveled back through my birth state...TN and enjoyed the gorgeous blossoms on the trees and flowers. Savannah started taking Tae Kwon Do with Tucker. 

April- Easter and preparations for end of the school year were underway. Welcomed home missionary friends from Peru. 

May- Tucker graduated from Kindergarten and we finished up the school year with a Fun Day with bounce houses and parachutes and snow cones. Super fun.

June- both kids earned their new belts for Tae Kwon Do, we did VBS at church. Bruce candidated at the church for the pastorate and was voted in at 99%. God taught us gobs during the waiting process.

July- Savannah went to church camp, Bruce and Tucker went to visit her at camp and I wasted 2 days of my life watching 3 seasons of Heartland. We spent 2 days away with our church staff for staff planning....it was a God-anointed time. 

August- Made another trip to GA. Mom and I toured the Southern Living 2012 Home and enjoyed some girl time. We also took a trip to Lake Lanier with my brother, sister in law and niece and my sister and Mom and Tom. Three glorious days...it was the best thing in the world we could do! I turned 40 and the ladies at church threw me a hilarious surprise party. Savannah turned 10 and we took a Mother Daughter trip out of town with Debbie and one of Savannah's friends. 

September- School started back...me teaching 1st grade, Tucker in my class and Savannah doing work in Mrs. Ali's class. I also was blessed to begin teaching a Wednesday night small group of women. We worked our way through Priscilla Shirer's Resolution for Women. God began doing some work in my life during that study. Both kids advanced to the next belt rank in TaeKwonDo. Bruce shared his vision (God's really) for the church for the next 18 months. 

October- We had our Fall Festival at church. It was a great time of outreach. Bruce's dad was diagnosed with stage 4 lymphoma. He had his first chemo.

November- Women's Night of Worship, Friend Day at church with Daves Highway, Bruce dad was hospitalized, Mom and Tom came early for Thanksgiving to help with kids, Bruce's Dad passed away right before Thanksgiving. Hard month. God was with us each step of the way...and our incredible, loving church family ....words fail me....

December- Christmas festivities at church and school. Savannah went with Debbie to see the Rockettes, Tucker rode his first bronco bull. We took the kids to Prestonwood's Gift of Christmas and they loved it. Enjoyed a night out with some girlfriends.  Tucker turned 7. We took the kids to their first hibachi grill. Savannah and I got the flu for Christmas. We enjoyed seeing Scott Anderson and having the Erwin family with us for our last Sunday in 2012.

And through it all...God was faithful. And He will be in 2013 because that's who He is. Faithful. Always. Always. Always.

Happy New Year!

How We're Spending New Year's Eve

Bruce declared this New Year's Eve "family night" so we are all hunkered down for some Fruit Ninja on the Xbox, some computer time, some TV watching (still have 30 unwatched Hallmark movies from the holidays to watch) and some good food.

The kids started their day playing a new online game they've discovered:

Bruce started the day quarantined to the back of the house that we are lovingly calling "sick hall". He's feeling better now, but I really can't pass up an opportunity to share a great picture:

I started the day out with a few loads of laundry and inbetween I sat down to read all about onions...yes...I'm thinking gardening already

Then on to way more appetizing things:

And to wrap up the night....the best pizza in town

Can you smell all that yummy goodness?

As the year closes and another one welcomes us...I'm finding myself reflecting on the things that God has allowed our family to experience in 2012. Whether good or bad, He's always in the process of making me new...better...more like Him. I'm thankful, eternally for the work He's accomplishing and humbled by the beauty and truth that He desires to use ordinary, sinful, redeemed people to worship Him, serve Him, and draw men and women to Him. What an amazing gift to give Him when we can abandon ourselves and totally surrender to Him!

The Great Clean Out

So in my effort to get life under control I've been cleaning out and purging the house. You can probably estimate the excitement that my family has felt toward this undertaking. Unlike before when I've done the massive cleaning, I started in the master bedroom. Normally I lose steam before I get there and it becomes the catch all for all things unhomed. This at times has included the vacuum cleaner, the bill file, the ironing board and other sundries. It hasn't been unusual for the entire house to be spotlessly clean with the exception of my bedroom. It's the last place that gets attention. Shame on me.

The room started out in bad shape...really bad shape. But, I decided that I would just take my time and clean out everything...the side table, under the bed, the baseboards, the windowsills, the closet! And it took me 7 hours to clean every nook and cranny. I moved furniture out and other furniture in to make the room more accommodating for us. I dusted and vacuumed and wiped down things. I threw away things and bagged up two huge bags for Goodwill.

If you're still my friend after reading about all this...thanks. I'm pretty sure that I'm not the only one who has a stash room or at least a closet. I took a poll of a couple of friends and they agreed...the master bedroom is the catch all place for their stuff too.

Here's pics of the after...I took before pics too...but ain't nobody got time to look at those....

After the high of sniffing all those cleaning products...or maybe it's all the Christmas flu medication, but whatever, I decided to overhaul the kids rooms too... and here's the finished product:

Savannah's room will be painted robin egg blue in the very near future. We've been searching for a bedspread we both liked..emphasis on BOTH...and found this great quilt the other day while we were shopping. I've got to order the shams online.

So, we'll see how long we can keep things neat and orderly. But for now, I'm one happy momma!

Now and Later

So, I took a very unplanned blogging hiatus over the last month. I should have seen it coming. My posts had become less and less over the last year and when I started teaching full time in September...well my goose was cooked. I never anticipated the amount of work teaching 18 first graders would be...and in the next breath I'll mention that I also didn't anticipate what a blessing they would be to me over the last four months.

I've pretty much been in survival mode and life's been living me instead of me living life - Not a mode I would recommend by the way. It just seems like between family, church, school and kid's activities there has been little to no time for me to think, process, meditate, pray, be still before the Lord. And then there was the fact that my father in law was diagnosed and died of lymphoma in just a matter of one month. It's been quite an overwhelming fall. So, as with most things in life, I've wondered exactly what God was up to, what should I be learning, what was the purpose for all this.

And it's not that I have all the answers, but God has showed me a few things that I'll be bringing into 2013.

I read and taught through Priscilla Shirer's Resolution for Women this fall. Resolution #5 I still haven't signed...mainly because I knew I couldn't or wouldn't be able to keep the resolution...

It reads: I resolve to devote the best of myself, my time, my talents to the primary roles God has entrusted me at this phase of my life. 

And after many a frustrated end of the day, feeling like I've cheated those closest to me, I've decided that 2013 is the year of my family. The family who deserves my best. The husband who deserves to be treated with the best of me instead of the half spent wife who is barely hanging on to her sanity. The kids who deserve a mother who has the energy and the time and the love to train them in the way they should go.

And all the while I hope to not intentionally cheat the others in my life that I love...so I'll be learning to say "no" and to modify my commitments so that I can get back to the basics. And I'll be praying that I accept the grace God gives me to do this and that others will give me the grace I need to do this. And maybe...just maybe by the end of 2013, I'll be able to sign resolution #5...having made this season of family life a priority.

A couple of things I need to do to devote myself, my time, my talents to the primary roles of wife and mother that God has entrusted to me at this phase of my life are:

- become a more organized housekeeper
- cook more
- teach my children basic housekeeping chores
- begin teaching my children basic cooking skills
- be a more wise time manager
- simplify home inventory
- set up local savings account for kids
- teach my children to spend money more responsibly
- serve together with my kids
- read missionary biographies with children
- keep better record of answered prayers with family

By no means do I want my family to be my "idol". But I can't stress to you the amount of conviction on my heart when I realize how great a need there is for godliness in this world, and how little I am doing to help model and plant that godliness into the next generation. I feel great responsibility and now it's time to put action to those feelings.

This phase of life won't last forever....that's kind of the harsh reality of it all. These moments will be replaced with empty nests and college tuitions and grandchildren. And then there will be all the time for all those ministry things, those job things, those hobbies, those women's groups...all those things that I may have a moment or two for now to give a little to.....Later there will be time for those to be the priority. And later will be here before you know it!